Hammer with built-in nail puller



Jan. 26, 1960 A. R. RALSTON ETAl- 2,922,622

HAMMER WITH BUILT-IN NAIL FULLER Fig. 3

William A. Ra/s/on IN VEN TORS.

BY vm Arf/wr R. Ra/sfon nited States Pat Arthur R. Ralston and WilliamA. Ralston, Kansas City, Mo.

Application July 11, 1957, Serial No. 671,291

3 Claims. cl. 254-26) The present invention relates to an improveddoublejaw-type all mechanical puller for nails and the like,particularly long shank nails and headless nails which cannot, withoutthe aid of extra facilities, be pulled with a conventional claw hammer.1

As the title of the invention implies, the nail pulling means ispreferably incorporated in the head of an ordinary hammer such as isdisclosed in the Rowe hammer Patent No. 759,019 of May 3, 1904. If, asmay be desirable, the Rowe patent is examined it will be seen that theobjective of the patentee was to provide a hammer attachment to be usedfor the purpose of extracting an extraordinary long nail withoutrequiring the use of spacing and fulcruming blocks for fulcrumingsupport.

An object of the instant endeavor is to structurally, functionally andotherwise improve on the Rowe patent and any other analogous solutionsof the long nail pulling problem.

Looking toward satisfactory and reliable ways and means of doing so aspecially constructed head is employed, the latter having, as is usuallythe case, a poll at one end and a claw at the other end, that portion ofthe body between the claw and handle having spaced parallel side and endwalls defining a passage for a nail, a fixed jaw projecting into saidpassage and adapted to bite into one side of a nail extending throughand beyond the passage, a spring-biased latch hingedly mounted on saidbody and operable in part in said passage and having a jaw opposed toand movable toward and from said fixed jaw, said jaws being normallyclose together and having coincident cooperating cam surfaces which aremated and, when forcibly rammed against the head of an anchored nail,allow the nail to cam the jaws apart and to pass between the jaws,whereby both jaws grip the nail so that it may be pulled.

In carrying out the invention a novelly constructed latch is utilizedembodying a plate having shoulders fashioned into trunnions or journalsrockably cradled in bearings provided therefor. Further, the plate isprovided at one end with a lateral extension serving as a headfulcruming and pressure applying foot, the latter being wholly outsideof said passage and directed away from said claw so that the thrustaction borne by the foot serves to proportionately transmit the appliedforce to the movable jaw, insuring an intoto gripping action in excessof the gripping action that would be imparted to said jaw by way of thespring-biasing action alone.

Other and more specific structural features and ad vantages will becomereadily apparent from the following description of the details takeninconjunction withthe views of the drawing and the invention ashereinafter claimed.

In the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals are employed todesignate like parts throughout the views:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and section showing a hammer head havingthe improved built-in nail puller and wherein the cooperating jaws arein a normal abut- Patented Jan. 26, 1960 ting position ready to beopened when the nail is pressed against the same;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the head seen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the vertical line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view in full lines and phantom lines and with portionsbroken away in the full line showing to illustrate how the nail isgripped for extraction from the work; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the principal or component part hereinreferred to as a latch, or latch dog whichever is preferred.

The significant latch dog (Fig. 5) is denoted as an entity by thenumeral 8 and, specifically, comprises a rigid plate or body portion 10having a tapering laterally disposed fulc'ruming and presser foot 12 atone end. The plate is slightly narrower than the foot and at thejuncture of the plate and foot the shoulders 14 are rounded to serve asjournals. On the side or surface 16 spaced from the shoulders is atransverse embossment or rib having a rounded or curved surface 18embodying a cam and a comparatively sharp edge 20 providing what ishereinafter referred to as the movable jaw. Below the jaw the plate isbifurcated and the furcations 22 have screw-threaded aligned holes 24 toaccommodate the shank portions of the headed assembling and guide screwsor equivalent members 26. I

The hammer head 28 has a headed poll 30 at one end and the usual clawmeans 32 at the other end. The body portion 34 is fashioned into asocket to accommodate the handle 36 and to the left of the handle andbetween the claw means and the socket a passage is formed. The passage,denoted generally by the numeral 38 in Fig. 1, comprises end and sidewalls and the sidewalls which are spaced and parallel are denoted by thenumeral 40. It will be noticed that the upper edges are longitudinalarcuate at 42. Also, the lower edges are arcuately curved at 44. Aninsert or anvil-like member 46 is fitted into one end of the passage andhas a flange 48 held in place by a headed fastener 50. Member 46 isformed with a similar rib or embossment which projects into the passageand provides the stationary jaw and the surface 52 thereof is likewisefashioned into a cam'and the two cams 18 and 52 assume theready-to-sepai'a te abutting relationship seen in Fig. 1. The plateportion 10 is located for movement back and forth in the slot or passageand is of a width so that its lengthwise edges have braced wipingcontact with the interior surfaces of the side walls 40. The side wallsare provided with notches 54 which as seen in Fig. 4 provide bearingsinwhich the journals 14 are cradled. With the latch dog in place the footis opposed to the handle of the handle and is movable toward and fromthe handle. Pressure applied to the foot serves to rock the latch dog inan obvious manner as seen inFig. 4. The furcations extend slightlybeyond the curvate edges 44 so that the heads 26 of the assembling andretaining screws ride back and forth on the edges. These screws and theproper proportioning in relationship of all components is such that theposition and action of the latch dog is aptly and effect uallystabilized. The latch dog is pressed into its initial gripping positionby way of a fiat leaf spring 56 anchored on the handle at58. The springbears against the intermediate portion of the plate-10 in the manner newbest in Fig. 1.

Assuming that it is desired to pull a nail, the nail 60 in the workpiece62 as illustrated in Fig. 4, it is first necessary to press the hammerin position forcing the head of the nail against the cam surfaces 18 and52. This spreads the jaws apart and allows the nail to pass between thejaws to the position shown. Rocking the ,principles of ,the invention.

hammer in a familiar manner as illustrated in full and dotted lineshowing in Fig. 4 the nail is progressively extracted. Asitis .drawn outthe hammer is shoved .toward "the work to take a new grip and thisoperation is repeated so that thenail isrpulled out straight out fromthe workpiecewithout-bending.

The "foregoing is .considered .as illustrativeonly of the Further, sincenumerous modifications :and changes will readily occur to those skilledin the art, .it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, .allsuitable modifications and equivalents .may beresorted .to, fallingwithin the scope 'oftheinvention as claimed.

Whatisclaimed as newds as .follows:

, 1. A Yhammer comprising a headhaving afhandle secured .theretoand'ihaving a claw at one end, .that portion of thebodyportionofvsaid head between the'claw and fining a passage for a nail, a fixedjaw projecting into said passage .and adapted to bite into one side of anail extending through said passage, a spring biased latch 'hingedlymounted on said body portion and operable 'in'part insaid passage andhaving a jaw opposed to and movable toward and'from said fixed jaw, saidjaws being normally spring-pressed together and having cam surfaceswhichare cooperatively mated so that when said surfaces aresimultaneously and forcibly rammed against the head of an anchored nail,said jaws are spread, permitting said nail to pass between the jaws andso that both jaws grip the nailforpulling, said latch embodying a platehaving aligned shoulders fashioned into and providing'hingingjournals,said body portion having bearings in which said journals -.are cradledfor rocking movement, said plate being also provided at one end with alateral extension serving as a head fulcrumingandv pressure applyingfoot, said foot being located wholly outside of-said passage anddirected away from said claw so that thrust action borne by the footserves to proportionate'ly transmit the progressively applied forcetothe movable jaw,.insuring an in toto grippingaction in excessof'thegripping action that would be imparted tosaid jaw by way ofspring-biasing action alone, 'said plate comp'letelyand transverselyspanning the portion of the passage defined by said parallel side walls,the longitudinal edges of the plate having wiping and stabilized contactwith the respective cooperating interior surfaces of saidside walls.

2. Ahammer comprising a head having ahandle secured thereto and having.a claw at one end, that portion of the'body portionof said head betweenthe claw and handle having spaced parallel side and end walls defining apassage for a nail, a fixed jaw projecting into said passage and adaptedto bite into one side of a nail extending through said passage, a springbiased latch hingedly mounted on said body portion and operable in partin saidpassage and having a jaw opposed to and movable toward and fromsaid fixed jaw, saidjaws being normally spring-pressed together andhaving cam surfaces which are cooperatively. mated so-that when saidsurfaces are simultaneously and'forcibly rammed against the head of ananchored nail, said jaws are spread, permitting saidnail to .passbetween the jaws and so that both. jaws grip .the nail for pulling, saidlatch embodying a plate having aligned=shoulders fashioned into andproviding hinging journals, said body I portion having beenings in whichsaid journals are cradled for rocking movement, said plate beingalsoprovided at one end with a lateral extension serving as a headfulcrurning and pressure applying foot, said foot being located whollyoutside of said passage and directed away from said claw so that thrustaction borne by the foot serves to pro portionately transmit theprogressively applied force to the movable'=jaw, insuring an in totogripping action in excess of the gripping action that would be impartedto said jaw by way of :spring-biasing action alone, said platecompletelyand transversely spanning the portion of the passage defined by saidparallel side walls, the longitudinal edges .of the plate having wiping,but stabilized contact with the cooperating interior surfaces of saidside Walls, the end of the plate opposite to the footequipped end beingbifurcated, the tips of the furcations projecting :slightly beyond thelengthwise .edges of said side walls, lsaidtedges being arcuatelyformed, and said tips carrying stabilizing guides touching and shiftableback and forth along .said edges, whereby to distribute stresses andstrains and to relieve the bearings and journals-of undue strain.

3. A hammer comprising a head having a handle secured .toa centralportion of the body of said head,said .headhavinga claw-at-oneend, thatportion of the body between the claw and handle having spaced parallelside and end walls defining an open ended passage for a nail, .a fixed.jaw projecting into said passage and adapted to bite-into oneside of anail when said nail has been caused to extend through and beyond thepassage, a spring-biased .latch hingedly mounted on said body andoperable in part in said passage and having a jaw opposed to .andmovable toward and from said fixed jaw, said jaws being normallyspring-pressed together and having companion cooperating cam surfaceswhich are mated and, when .forcibly rammed against the head of ananchored nail, allow the nail to spread the jaws apartand topass betweensaid jaws, whereby both jaws grip the nail, the lengthwise edge portionsof said side walls at thelike ends of said edges being notched andproviding alignedbearings, aportion of said latch :adjacent to saidbearings having shoulders formed and providing .journalsaand saidjournals being cradled'and thus rockably held'for hinge-action in saidbearings, said latch lembodyinga rigid plate movable insaid passage, theend of .the plate opposite to said-shoulder-equipped end extendingthrough .the adjacent .end of the passage and being equipped withoutstanding headed latch asse'mbling and retaining screws, the heads ofsaid screws contacting andriding backand forth on the lengthwise edgesof said walls and said edges being arcuate to coincide with the arc inwhich the screws must move as the plate swings backand forth, and theshouldered end portion of the-plate beingformed with an integral lateralpressenfoot' serving as a rocking fulcrum for said head.

References" Cited in the file of-this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSCollocott ..i. Nov. 24, 1931

